CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2018 UAB

11–⁠3 (7–⁠1 Conference USA), coached by Bill Clark.

Schedule and results

UAB in 2018, game by game: won vs. Savannah State 52–0; lost at Coastal Carolina 24–47; won vs. Tulane 31–24; won vs. Charlotte 28–7; won at Louisiana Tech 28–7; won at Rice 42–0; won vs. North Texas 29–21; won at UTEP 19–0; won vs. UTSA 52–3; won vs. Southern Miss 26–23; lost at Texas A&M 20–41; lost at Middle Tennessee 3–27; won at Middle Tennessee 27–25; won vs. Northern Illinois 37–13+52−24Won 52–0 vs. Savannah State+52Savannah StateLost 24–47 at Coastal Carolina-23Coastal CarolinaWon 31–24 vs. Tulane+7TulaneWon 28–7 vs. Charlotte+21CharlotteWon 28–7 at Louisiana Tech+21Louisiana TechWon 42–0 at Rice+42RiceWon 29–21 vs. North Texas+8North TexasWon 19–0 at UTEP+19UTEPWon 52–3 vs. UTSA+49UTSAWon 26–23 vs. Southern Miss+3Southern MissLost 20–41 at Texas A&M-21Texas A&MLost 3–27 at Middle Tennessee-24Middle TennesseeWon 27–25 at Middle Tennessee+2Middle TennesseeWon 37–13 vs. Northern Illinois+24Northern Illino…
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vsSavannah StateW 52–⁠081%
Sep 8atCoastal CarolinaL 24–⁠4759%
Sep 15vsTulaneW 31–⁠2455%
Sep 29vsCharlotteW 28–⁠777%
Oct 6atLouisiana TechW 28–⁠732%
Oct 13atRiceW 42–⁠076%
Oct 20vsNorth TexasW 29–⁠2154%
Oct 27atUTEPW 19–⁠085%
Nov 3vsUTSAW 52–⁠379%
Nov 10vsSouthern MissW 26–⁠2372%
Nov 17atTexas A&ML 20–⁠4143%
Nov 24atMiddle TennesseeL 3–⁠2747%
Dec 1atMiddle TennesseeConference USA Championship GameW 27–⁠2538%
Dec 18Bowls & playoffvsNorthern IllinoisBoca Raton BowlW 37–⁠1354%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Northern Illinois 37–⁠13 in the Boca Raton Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; Conference USA champions.

In program history: The 2nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 31 on file).

Conference USA champions7–⁠1 in the conference, won the Conference USA Championship Game

Led the nationXavier Ubosi: yards per catch (23.9)

Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearBill Clark, coach

Record
11–⁠3
Conference
7–⁠1 shared first in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
418–⁠238
Coach
Bill Clark
Elo
1579 +106 this season
SP+ rating
-0.3 No. 75 of 130; offense No. 104, defense No. 44, special teams No. 67
SRS
0.8 No. 64 of 130 in FBS
Returning
95% of last season’s EPA, No. 4 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 103 roster talent No. 100 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Bryant Vincent
Defensive coordinator
David Reeves
Offense
Spread option
Defense
3–⁠3–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense53rd of 130
  • Defense10th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted59th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted27th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1243%1.2453rd of 130
Defense-0.0437%1.2310th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.11 off
0.04 def		44% off
39% def		—59th off
27th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.5own 2813% allowed
Defense2.4own 2920% caused

CORE rating 7.6, 28th of 130 (offense 2.4, defense -5.1).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsA.J. Erdely QB1,530 yds
Passing touchdownsTyler Johnston III QB8 TD
Rushing yardsSpencer Brown RB1,174 yds
Rushing touchdownsSpencer Brown RB16 TD
Receiving yardsXavier Ubosi WR697 yds
Receiving touchdownsXavier Ubosi WR6 TD
TacklesChris Woolbright LB74 tkl
SacksJamell Garcia-Williams DL9.5 sacks
InterceptionsBrontae Harris CB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

C.D. Daniels CB★★★No. 810
Jalen Rayam OLB★★★No. 1293
Starling Thomas V CB★★★No. 1570
Alondras Strong S★★★No. 1734
Michael Fairbanks SDE★★★No. 2009

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.800
Running backs12.00.785
Receivers12.00.789
Offensive line12.00.760
Defensive line22.50.790
Linebackers13.00.842
Defensive backs82.60.812
Whole class152.50.803

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 127

The 2018 roster

127 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
UAB7–⁠111–⁠3
Middle Tennessee7–⁠18–⁠6
Marshall6–⁠29–⁠4
Florida International6–⁠29–⁠4
North Texas5–⁠39–⁠4
Louisiana Tech5–⁠38–⁠5
Southern Miss5–⁠36–⁠5
Charlotte4–⁠45–⁠7
Florida Atlantic3–⁠55–⁠7
Old Dominion2–⁠64–⁠8
UTSA2–⁠63–⁠9
Western Kentucky2–⁠63–⁠9
Rice1–⁠72–⁠11
UTEP1–⁠71–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.